Chris Lombardi puts defense and security under the spotlight, as he shares his takes on recent NATO and EU cooperation and provides insight into the company’s own long-term strategic partnerships in Europe.

Three trends are currently driving the global electricity sector: decarbonization, decentralization and differentiation. Utilities are making significant contributions to mitigate carbon emissions, while a technology revolution is …

3-4 June: European Council

THE EU summit in Cologne was dominated by the announcement that the Yugoslavian government had accepted terms for a peace plan for Kosovo. German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder said it was a “great day” for Europe, including the people of Yugoslavia, and Union leaders expressed hopes that the NATO bombings could be halted within a few days.

European Voice

6/9/99, 5:00 PM CET

Updated 4/12/14, 4:44 AM CET

THE Union’s special envoy to the Balkans, Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, flew to Cologne from Belgrade on Thursday afternoon to brief EU leaders on the Yugoslav government’s decision to accept the G8 countries’ peace plan for Kosovo. Ahtisaari warned that an end to the bombing was not yet assured because the total withdrawal of Yugoslav forces had to be verified. “The proof of the pudding is in the eating,” he told a press conference. Addressing the task of reconstructing Kosovo once peace has been restored, Schröder announced that the EU would set up a special agency to handle international aid efforts, and said Union countries would contribute to the funding needed to rebuild the region’s shattered infrastructure.

NEWS of the breakthrough on Kosovo came on the day that summit leaders agreed a new security and defence initiative for the EU. This would enable Union armed forces to work together in crisis management or on humanitarian missions without having to rely on the political or technical support of NATO. It would also mean the gradual integration of parts of the Western European Union into the EU. These are expected to include its satellite facility and its planning staff. To run the new common security policy, EU leaders agreed to involve defence ministers in foreign ministers’ meetings and to set up a permanent committee in Brussels with military expertise. Schröder said the existing Eurocorps, which is made up of French, German, Spanish and Luxem-bourg troops, would be turned into a rapid reaction force to deal with crisis situations.

THE summit also agreed a common strategy for Russia, which is designed to help it on the road to becoming stable, prosperous and peaceful. Germany’s Deputy Foreign Minister Günter Verheugen said the new policy would integrate Russia into a common European economic and security area. Verheugen also announced that work would begin on a common strategy for Mediterranean countries.

INCOMING European Commission President Romano Prodi presented EU leaders with his ideas for reforming the institution. Prodi said he would ask the new Commissioners to agree to resign if he asked them to. This is designed to avoid a repeat of the situation in March when Jacques Santer’s entire team had to step down because one Commissioner widely seen as having abused her position refused to resign alone. He also announced plans to make one of the institution’s two vice-presidents responsible for reform of the Commission and the other for relations with the European Parliament. Prodi also stressed that there should be at least five female Commissioners in the new team.

OVER dinner, EU leaders agreed to appoint NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana as the Union’s new foreign policy representative, despite calls from some countries for a decision to be delayed until after this week’s European elections. Heads of state and government also chose French ambassador to the EU Pierre de Boissieu to be Solana’s number two and deputy secretary-general of the Council of Ministers. Portuguese Finance Minister Victor Constancio was chosen to succeed Sir Brian Unwin as president of the European Investment Bank.

ON FRIDAY, Union leaders endorsed a new European employment pact, which aims to bring together all the EU’s policies for tackling unemployment. Schröder said the pact would ensure greater coordination between economic, financial and taxation policies. He highlighted new initiatives designed to promote research and development, the provision of 1.5 billion euro in risk capital and 4.6 billion euro for Trans-European Networks and information technology. EU leaders also pledged to reach an agreement on the planned savings tax by December and continue work on a framework for energy taxation.

ON THE institutional reforms needed to prepare the Union for enlargement in the next decade, heads of state and government agreed to ask the incoming Finnish presidency to draw up a report on the options for change. Summiteers agreed that the report should focus on the size and composition of the Commission, the weighting of votes in the Council of Ministers and a possible extension in the scope of qualified majority voting.

THE summit launched work on drawing up a EU Charter of Fundamental Rights which should be concluded under the French presidency.

EU LEADERS expressed their satisfaction at progress on accession negotiations and stressed the need for nuclear safety in new countries joining the Union – a reference to Lithuania, Bulgaria and Slovakia, which all have reactors which do not meet western safety standards.

Schröder, UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin made a last-ditch attempt to win a reprieve for duty-free sales within the EU, but this was blocked by Danish Prime Minister Poul Nyrup Rasmussen and his Dutch colleague Wim Kok. The Commission did, however, agree to simplify the regime which will apply once the special tax arrangements expire next month.